It took three years, but the member countries of the World Health Organization have finally approved a text that sets out guidelines on how to deal with future pandemics, so as to avoid the same mistakes made with Covid-19.
“The nations of the world made history today in Geneva,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “By reaching consensus on the Pandemic Accord, they not only put in place a generational deal to make the world safer, they also demonstrated that multilateralism is alive and well, and that in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground and a shared response to common threats.”
Five years after the coronavirus killed millions and devastated economies, work is now underway on how to address new health threats: from H5N1 avian flu to measles, MPoxetine and Ebola. The United States did not participate in the latest round of negotiations, having left the WHO before cutting foreign aid spending and threatening tariffs on pharmaceutical products.
Precisely on drugs and vaccines, the agreement risked stumbling , in the wake of the difficulties encountered by poor countries during the pandemic and on the criteria for technology transfers, but in the end, the 32-page agreement was approved unanimously. The objective is therefore "to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics", in compliance with the "sovereign right" of States.
The agreement is guided by the principles of "fairness, solidarity and transparency" and stresses that public health decisions in the face of pandemics must be based on the "best available scientific and factual data".
The text also calls on countries to strengthen their pandemic prevention and surveillance capabilities , taking into account national and regional capacities and situations. Regarding technology transfer, it will have to be "mutually agreed". It also provides for the creation of a "Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System" (Pabs), i.e. a registry of pathogens and health products resulting from their use, such as vaccines or tests.
(Online Union)